Supreme Court to decide whether Khaleda can take part in parliamentary election: Attorney general

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam today said it depends on the Supreme Court judgement whether BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia can contest the next parliamentary election.

Khaleda, on February 8, was convicted and sentenced to five years imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case.

“I cannot say at this moment whether she can contest the next parliamentary election as I am not an astrologer,” he said.

The attorney general made the remark while replying to a query from the reporters at his office in Dhaka after the SC in the morning stayed the HC order that granted bail to Khaleda in the graft case.

Khaleda’s lawyer has made a political statement by terming the SC order unprecedented and unwarranted, Mahbubey Alam said.

Earlier, Khaleda’s lawyer Advocate Zainul Abedin told reporters that the SC did not mention any reason for staying the HC order of the bail which is unprecedented and unwarranted.

The SC today stayed until May 8 the HC order that granted bail to Khaleda in the graft case.

The AG said that Khaleda Zia was given all legal facilities to defend herself before the trial court during the trial proceedings of the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case.

He said that Khaleda cannot get released from jail following today’s SC order.